The Stranger
by Jexxi
Summary: Lana and Clark finally seem happy together. They have an apartment and Lana's getting a job. But what happens when a mysterious man comes into Lana's life without a trace?
1. The Stranger

1-19-06

This fanfic is basically another story line that could be used in an episode of _Smallville_. This takes place after the episode with Aquaman in it (sorry that I don't know the episode name for all those die hard Smallville fans out there!) I haven't really named it as a whole yet so if there are any suggestions, feel free to input. This is the first chapter of a bigger story I'm going to work on and I'm a newbie so try not judge harshly, but criticism is always welcome if there is anything I can improve. So, enjoy!

**Chapter One - The Stranger**

"Alright Clark, make sure you put the bills in the mailbox before you go, okay?"

"Will do, Lana." Clark said in a wary voice as she reminded him for the fifth time.

"Okay ... Oh crap! I'm already running late to the interview! How do I look?"

Lana had bought a new outfit for this interview. She had her heart set on it. And on their future.

"Perfect. He'd be nuts if he didn't hire you."

Clark dipped his head to capture Lana's lips.

Lana was never immune to kiss and she knew she never would be.

Ever since they had they're apartment together, things were running smoothly. Clark wasn't always up to his usual secretive antics and, for once, Alexander Luther

wasn't breathing down their necks. Yes, things were... comfortable, just as she had always imagined it would be. No more secrets, no more lies, no more hiding.

Just them. Together. It was a beautiful thing.

And yet, Lana had an interview to get to; otherwise they would never be able to pay next month's rent so being together wasn't so helpful this time.

Lana tried to struggle away from Clark's locked hold but she could only force her kiss away from him.

"I have to go, Clark. We'll continue this later." She said with her hands gently placed on the back of his neck and playing with his hair. He always had an unnatural strength about him and she always felt it when he held her.

"Okay then, good luck, honey."

"Thanks, bye."

Lana closed the door behind her.

"Now to Cloe's place."

Clark ran to their white-walled bedroom where their bay window out looked the parking lot at the far end of their room and where their bed mattress was sitting on the floor with the sheets in a jumble. They just bought a new dresser to put Clark's clothes in since Lana's clothes took up the whole closet. Clark didn't mind at all. All he wanted was to see her happy. Happy and in love with him. Its just too bad that she couldn't find out what he truly was. That he had to keep secret from her for her own safety. But, dammit! He couldn't stand the fact of keeping it from her after they promised to be open with everything.

_Things don't always go the way you want them to. _

And for Clark Kent, this was true.

But it was for her safety, he reminded himself.

Clark whipped around their room to find his jacket which he couldn't find anywhere. He squinted his eyes and x-rayed the piles of clothes to find his jacket on the bottom of the biggest pile. He picked the pile up in one big heave and careful threw it across the room. Last time he threw a pile of clothes, he almost broke the window. Luckily Lana fell for a bird crashing into it and that was why it was cracked. It was a close call that day. He threw on his jacket and headed out the door.

Damn. The bills.

He unlocked the door and got inside. He retrieved the bills next to the phone and surprisingly, there was a new message on the answering machine. He pressed the play button.

_"Hey Clark, and Lana, this is Chloe. Ummm, well I just needed some sugar but you guys obviously aren't home so call me back. You know, I need a complex carb fix. Haha, oh man that was lame. Well sorry to bother. Bye." _

The machine beeped and ended. Clark knew immediately what was going on. 'Ineed some sugar' was code for 'get the hell over here because I found something'. Since Lana didn't know about Clark's powers, he and Chloe decided it would be better to hide that little detail.

With anxiety running through his veins, he quickly ran to his car and fumbled with the keys into the ignition.

Lana had never been so nervous in her life. She always excelled at everything. So why was she so anxious now? She forced herself to take deep breath and focus her energy on getting through the interview without stumbling over her words or over her heels that were 4 inches high. She fianlly went through the door with determination gleaming in her eyes. She walked confidently to the front desk that read _Luther Corp. _in big, bold lettering.

"How may I help you?"

"Hi, Lana Lang, I have an interview with Mr. Luther?"

The lady was plump and had 40 years under her belt with a look that told you not to question her authority but spoke in a sing song voice to Lana.

"Yes, Ms. Lang, please take a seat. Mr. Luther will be right with you."

"Thank you."

Lana exhaled for what seemed the first time since she had entered the room. She took her seat near the corner. The room was pretty big. The beams were stainless steel the shined in the light and all of the walls were made of glass that you couldn't see through. There were many chairs and magazines stocked for year's worth of waiting. Lana caught a glimspe a the magazine _Hustler._

She laughed to herself at how he considered the guests that walked through his doors.

Though Lana nor Clark took a particular liking to Lex, he always seemed to offer things to them. But they always came with a price.

This time, it didn't, however.

Lex heard from someplace or another that Lana needed a job to afford the appartment. Lex always seemed to know what was going on; not that that was anything surprising. Lex ran Smallville like he owned the place. You could almost say that he does.

But Lana wasn't stupid. She knew about Lex's ways. Which was exactly why she agreed to take the interview. No, she wasn't fond of him, but she wasn't going to pass up a job oppurtunity just because of it. And, as a bonus, she knew what to expect, especially since Clark and Lex used to be the best of friends.

_Used to be._

Sometimes she thought it would be better if everyone just got along.

_It would be better if my parents were alive, too._

But that was wishful thinking. The meteor shower almost killed everything she loved.

And then came Clark Kent.

A boy from the Kent farm and family but his origins were from God knows where. She asked him a million times and he claims he doesn't know. But it was just another thing they had in common; they never grew up with their real parents. And she left it at that.

_No use in prying_, she thought to herself.

But that was Chloe's job. Always prying. Sometimes Lana wondered if Chloe knew more about Clark than she did.

But she put the thought out of her mind. She was happy, in love, and now going to get a job.

She had everything a girl could dream about.

"Excuse me?"

Lana snapped out of her thoughts and returned to reality.

"Excuse me?" the voice repeated again.

Lana shook her head

"Oh, I'm sorry. I got lost in thought." Lana replied and offered him an apologetic smile.

"Lana Lang?"

The masculine voice echoed through her soul and she could see him mouthing her name to perfection. She turned to look at him.

"Yes?"

She could barely get the word out. This man was incredibly beautiful. There was just something about him that made her want to just listen to his lilting voice for days.

"Hi, I'm Atklos Marlionuryian Temptus."

He extended his hand to her in greeting after his long sentence and offered her a welcoming smile.

She wondered what nationality he was to have that long of a name but she was too busy wanting to faint. The man was gorgeous. Like a spell cast over her and his eyes held her in a trance. She looked dreamily into his blue sunset mist eyes but at the same time, they had a wise, aged look to them. The odd thing was they were crystal blue, literally. He had tanned skin that was evenly toned and his hair was spiked and kind of long with a dark tint of blonde but for some reason, it shined a bleach white in the light. He was tall and built to perfection. He wore a black button down shirt with black slacks and a set of black dress shoes that were square at the toe end.

"Most call me Klio." He added continuing his smile when she didn't respond.

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Lana Lang, well, you already knew that. Wait, how do you know that?" Lana took his hand into hers to return the gesture and felt a shocking burst of warmth. She felt a dizzy spell come on her but then she quickly sobered. She shook her head at the immediate reaction.

"Any friend of Lex's is a friend of mine. And its a pleasure." He said in a kind, patient voice and gave a slight nod in honor. He held his hand in hers delicately and turned it over to place the back of her hand to his full lips. She wanted to burst from the sudden sensation.

"Well... I..."

"Lana Lang?" The secretary's voice inturrupted mid sentence. "Mr. Luther is ready to see you now."

Lana turned to Klio in regret that this sudden meeting had to end.

"It was an honor to finally meet you in person, Lana." Her name rolled off of his toungue like milk chocolate.

"You, too." was all she could force out of herself as she looked at him dreamily.

She turned around to face the door to Lex's office and thought of how that man had such impeccable manners. She never figured a man with spiked hair to have such decency and yet he was the most handsome thing she laid eyes on. He was so...

Lana's focus shot back to the interview. She looked around the room and wondered where all the time had gone.

_What was I doing while I was waiting? _

"Oh well" she said quietly to herself as she wondered why the last 5 minutes drew a blank to her.

_Maybe I was sleeping... I hope not._

When the secretary and Lana finally approached the door, Lana realized how cold it was inside the building. It was almost chilly.

Then why did her right hand feel warm?


	2. Mysteries

1-26-06 (updated 3-2-06)  
This is the second chapter. I have to establish that obviously I don't own any of the Smallville characters. The only character that is mine is Klios (and the secretary but its not like that makes a big difference lol). I also started this fanfic before the 100th episode. So if things are a little different, its because of that. But I have taken some of the ideas from the episodes after the 100th (you'll see what I'm talking about). So... yeah. Enjoy!  
Chapter Two - Mysteries Clark couldn't believe the jam he was in.  
He was waiting in the traffic for an hour and he still didn't know what possessed him to wait in it.  
"Oh yeah, thats right. Because Chloe wants me over her damn house!" Clark yelled, thinking out loud.  
He looked to his left to see an old woman look at him as if she never saw anything so weird in her whole life. Clark gave an awkward smile to her and directed his gaze to the traffic in front of him.  
"What the hell am I gunna do now"  
Then it hit him. He drove his car to the side of the road and pulled his key out of the ignition. He got out of the car and looked around to see if anyone noticed him standing there. After he made completely sure no one was even glancing his way, he jetted down the highway like a speeding bullet. He knew he shouldn't use his super speed in public but it was worth the risk rather then waiting in that jam.  
Clark couldn't help but think about that race he had with the kid who called himself Flash. He wondered where he was now.  
Clark slowed himself down as he approached Chloe's apartment complex. He ran behind a dumpster so he could walk out without looking conspicuous. As he walked, he couldn't help but awe at how her complex was so much more better looking then his. Hers had nice trimmings and a thick white paint job with surrounding rose bushes to edge the side walks and parking lots. He approached apartment 57 and rang the doorbell.  
He heard thumping down the stairs and saw her blonde hair through the window.  
"Well its nice to see you since I called you an hour and a half ago!" she said breathlessly.  
"I wouldn't have been so late if the traffic would speed a bit. I had to leave my car again"  
Chloe raised her eyebrow.  
"Aren't you afraid of someone seeing you"  
"Not in the least," he said nonchalantly with a shrug, "lately my powers have been working better then usual. It's like they've been upgraded"  
"Yeah well don't let it get to your head"  
"Have I ever"  
Chloe burst out in laughter while she rolled her eyes to the far end of her head. She moved out of the doorway to let Clark in.  
"Come on upstairs, theres something I need to show you, something... new"  
"Oh, joy." Clark muttered sarcastically as he follow Chloe up the stairs.  
As he entered, he looked around the living room as if a hurricane went through.  
"Make yourself at home." Chloe said looking back at him and knowing how mortified he was at the mess.  
Clark looked around, stunned to see how messy everything was. For crying out loud, her socks were in her kitchen drawer! He moved over some of her clean laundry and old newspapers to sit on what seemed like her couch. He picked up one of the old newspaper articles and read it out loud.  
"Man Found At Meteor Sight In Smallville. Where did you find this, Chloe"  
"Oh, you know, I'm just full of insight for the unusual"  
"a.k.a. you got this off of your 'Wall of Weird"  
"You know it." she said as she stared at her computer screen. "Check this out"  
Clark quickly moved to her side to see.  
His faced turned to a stone look.  
"I know how weird this must be to you, Clark. Believe me, I had to take a couple asprin after taking a gander at this. This was just reported yesterday"  
"But how? How could there be another like it"  
"Maybe your not the only one"  
"I know but Jor-El told me so. Besides those other two that came from the past but we I locked them up in that portal"  
Clark looked at the screen in disbelief: 'Another ship found at new Smallville meteor site'  
He was overjoyed and overwhelmed at the same time. How could this be? He was so happy that there was someone else of his kind still living. But he wondered what Jor-El was up to. He always has something up his sleeve and now Clark was going to get to the bottom of it.  
"Hey, read on. It doesn't stop here." Chloe said, interupting his thoughts.  
"After this picture was taken, the ship disappeared without a trace until one of our on-sight reporters found a small, hexagon like metal shape"  
Clark looked at the picture of the hexagon shape as if it were some type of Saviour to him. He really wasn't the only one of his kind anymore, he was sure of it. Then Clark's excitement dropped fast at his next thought.  
"Chloe, you know what that means, right"  
"Uhmmm... no"  
"It means Lex already has it in his posession. Hes probably running tests on it as we speak. We have to get it back"  
Clark headed toward the door when Chloe slammed it shut in front of him.  
"What are you doing"  
"What are you doing?" Chloe remarked back.  
"Getting the hexagon piece back"  
"What is it to you"  
"I had that same hexagon piece when I came in the meteor shower. It was a part of my ship and it was apart of the meteor site. If Lex finds out everything I just told you, he'll find out exactly what I am"  
"Good point. Okay, lets get a move on then"  
Clark stared at her in disbelief at how everything needed an explanation. As for the way he lived his life, explanations were always saved for later.  
"Well, hurry up! Don't just stare at me"  
Lana found herself drifting off into space whenever she heard Lex run his mouth. All she wanted was a freaking job. She already showed him all the paper work and answered all his questions. She didn't need to hear his life story. But her mind kept on running back to her blankness. All she remembered was entering the waiting room and talking to the secretary. Then it shot to the secretary showing her to Lex's office. Something happened in the waiting room but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maybe she really was sleeping.  
"Lana"  
"Yes?" Lex's voice shot through all of her thoughts.  
"Are you in this room or are you in the blissful thoughts of Clark Kent"  
"Excuse me? That is really none of your business. And, yes, I wasn't in this room because of your annoying rambling"  
It was then that Lana caught herself and realized that this wasn't just Lex Luthor she was speaking to, it was her future boss. But after that statement, he had all the rights to throw her out.  
Lex saw that her face was cast down.  
"Well, I guess someone is out of a job"  
"Lex, I'm sorry. it was a"  
"An honest opinion on your behalf. And, yes, someone is out of a job, but it won't be you. Welcome aboard"  
Lana looked at him in complete shock and then realized that her mouth open in awe.  
"Well I... I... I don't know what to say. Thank you"  
She offered her hand and he grasped it firmly.  
"The pleasure is mine. Now if you excuse me, I have a meeting with a special aquaintence. You will start on Tuesday and I'll give you a call"  
"Okay, sounds great." Lana said without hiding her excited smile.  
Lana quickly grabbed her things and walked out the door and shut it behind her.  
She couldn't believe even after what she said to him, that she still got the job. Well, Lex was certainly unpredictable, she'd give him that much. Lana was striding down the hallway and back into the waiting room. She couldn't wait to tell Clark that.  
Lana dropped her things on the floor and stood in a numbing awe.  
Her whole memory of the waiting room came back to her instantly. As she recollected their meeting, he walked up to her.  
"Hello, Lana." He said placing a gently hand on her cheek and she felt the sudden burst of warmth again from his touch.  
Lana couldn't say anything as she looked deep into his celestial eyes. She saw so much promise in them, so much peace. No more secrets and hiding away. But deeper in his eyes, she could see great sadness. As if there was a heavy burden. She noticed it quickly because she was used to seeing it in Clark's eyes. She wanted to be the cure to his grief and to ease his pain. When she tore herself from his gaze, she saw that nothing moved around them. Not even the secretary who was chatting on the phone a moment ago. It was as if time had stopped. Then she looked at him again.  
Klios tensed when Lana probed into his eyes. She really knew how to read a man. Then again, when your mate is Kal-El, one would be an expert. He was the most secretive man Klios had ever met. And yet, Lana always tolerated him. She was truely extraordinary, which made his mission even easier.  
Lana saw how Klios winced when she looked him in the eyes and gave him an apologetic look.  
"Lana, I will see you again soon." Klios said as if reading her train of thoughts.  
"When?" Lana almost forced the question out of herself.  
"When time allows us to"  
Lana wanted to ask what he meant but in the same moment, everything began moving again. Lana looked at her surroundings in confusion. She looked for her jacket and her purse and found them on the floor.  
What just happened? I walked out of Lex's office and the next thing I know, my things are on the floor.  
As she picked up her things, she looked around the waiting room and saw only the secretary chatting like she was before and a man walking towards Lex's office but she could only see the back of him.  
"Honey, are you okay"  
Lana turned to the secretary,  
"Yes, I'm okay, why"  
"Because your face looks so flushed"  
Lana touched her right cheek and found that it was warm.  
"I'm fine, thank you." Lana said, trying to hide her bewilderment.  
"Well then, have a nice afternoon"  
"You too." was all Lana could get out as she walked out the door. 


End file.
